Yin Yang: Sound and Silence
by XeroKitty
Summary: Naruto's mused, so now it's Sasuke's turn. What if he knew what was going on in Konoha while he was away on his mission? Noted pairings: SasuNaru yaoi InoSaku yuri KibaHina het.
1. Sound and Silence

_And I can't shake this feeling I have_

_That my voice goes unnoticed._

_Even when I kick and scream_

_And even when I cry,_

_I seem to be invisible_

_To everyone but you._

_Silence tells me secretly_

_In muted colored tones_

_That you're the one to teach me_

_How the sound goes._

_I wrap my arms around you_

_And know I should hold tight_

_But the sound is too loud now_

_And I can't go any higher_

_Before I break._

_Will you save me?_

_Sing to me with gentle tones_

_And maybe I'll be satisfied._

_Or we can rest content in silence_

_Knowing what's on the other's mind;_

_Or does that drive you crazy?_

_Turn up the volume and bring down the roof,_

_Scream at one another in silence till throats rupture_

_And the blood spills_

_As silent as a spider_

_And hits the floor_

_As loud as a shriek._

_We'll drive each other crazy_

_As you take the chance to speak_

_And I take the time to listen._


	2. If I Was Invisible

Sasuke woke up to find out he was invisible.

He didn't realize it just like that. Actually, the day began normally enough. Well, if you counted going back in time normal. Once Sasuke thought, he assumed that this flashback/time traverse/whatever was happening showed his sixteen-year-old self. Oddly enough, he woke up in his bed. He wasn't anywhere _near_ Konoha at age sixteen, but apparently, that didn't matter.

It was a normal day.

Sasuke dressed, washed up, and went down to the kitchen to make breakfast, as usual. There was nothing in the ice box or the pantry. He rolled his eyes. He'd just have to find food somewhere else. He left the house, passing the gates and glancing up and down the street. It was an abnormally gray day. It looked like heavy rain. Usually, weather in the Hidden Valley of the Leaf was much more pleasant. Shrugging it off, Sasuke headed toward the village, hands in his pockets.

As the huts and buildings began to rise on either side of him, he sighted people. Just a few, walking up and down the street, the threat of rain un-deterring them from needed tasks. Sasuke shook his head and moved on, walking down the street in his usual, cool, subtly arrogant manner.

He knew someone who would call it 'strutting'.

Up ahead, two figures were approaching. They leaned against one another in the annoying way couples do. He made a face—there was no way some cutsey-happy couple was going to make _him_ move off the sidewalk. No, thank you. As they drew closer, he saw one was a light blond with her hair pulled back, and the other a pink-haired girl with a rather high forehead.

_Oh, great, _he thought. _I'm definitely not in the mood for this._

But even as Ino and Sakura drew closer, they seemed not to take notice of him. Sasuke wasn't used to this. Usually, these two spotted him from over a mile away. And they weren't absorbed in any sort of heated discussion, which would have made him feel a little better. Just simple girly chit-chat. _So, what the hell's the problem? Look at me, already!_ But they _were_ looking at him, that was the unsettling thing. Their eyes had stopped on the exact spot he was standing several times. He stopped in his tracks: were they ignoring him on _purpose?_

"So, Lee asked me to come over and cook for him later today." Sasuke heard Sakura say as the two girls came within earshot.

"You're not a housewife, Sakura," Ino glared at her companion, not unkindly.

"But you know him!" the pink-haired girl cried defensively, lifting her head from Ino's shoulder, though they still held hands. "If no one makes him eat, he forgets to!"

"I know," the young blond nodded, reaching over with her free hand and tapping the tip of Sakura's nose. "Did you forget you were like that too? I practically force fed you three years ago."

The other girl blushed and turned her blue-green eyes downward: "I'm sorry, Ino. It's just that… when he left, I didn't know what to do. I mean, everyone thought he was—"

_He, who? Lee? _Sasuke snickered to himself and opened his mouth to make a comment when he realized they were passed him, continuing as if nothing out of the ordinary had just occurred.

"H-Hey!" he whirled around to look after them. They were still obliviously strolling and holding hands.

Sasuke sputtered and fumed. How _dare_ they ignore _him_! He spun back around and stomped down the street, letting his anger show avidly on his face, warning all who came remotely close to back the hell off. As if the sucky weather wasn't enough, he had Ino and Sakura ignoring him on top of it. He thought about that for a second and agreed that it was a welcome change. But still, he did feel a tiny sting of wounded pride. Sasuke was used to the attention, and without it, he felt… different.

An older woman was heading toward him, head down, hands in pockets, umbrella on her hip, hat on head. He couldn't see her face, but she looked pretty from what he could tell. Neither he nor the woman was apparently going to change paths. This time, however, Sasuke was determined to be noticed. He walked a little faster. The woman suddenly stopped and looked up as if someone had called her name. Her blond hair spilled over bare shoulders, her hazel eyes outlined starkly with black mascara.

_Wait a minute. I'd recognize that cleavage anywhere…_

"Tsunande?" he called. The leader of his village, looking _very _much older, pursed her lips and lowered her head, pulling the now-familiar hat down over her eyes.

"Poor brat," she mumbled to herself and then she was passed him too, walking back toward her house. Sasuke turned wildly.

"HEY! Old hag! Can't you say 'excuse me' or something?" he screamed at the top of his lungs after her. No reaction. Every time the aforementioned boy let loose _that_ insult, she was nearly okay with throttling him. That did it; something really was up.

Who else was going to ignore him today?

Sasuke stormed through the town, food all but forgotten. His mind was preoccupied, so his feet took the liberty of leading him seemingly aimlessly through town. They traced a route very familiar to them, and stopped in the exact same place they always used to. Sasuke looked up from his thoughts.

"Naruto…!" white-eyed, timid Hinata called from just in front of him. He turned his head in the direction she was looking, and saw the run-down apartment building Uzumaki Naruto dwelled in. From beside her, Kiba and Akamaru listened intently. Finally, the bigger boy shook his head.

"It's no use," Kiba growled, lifting a clawed hand to rake through his black hair, knocking back his fur-lined hood. Hinata sighed and turned, leaning her back against the cracked wall.

"But where _is _he, Kiba? Tsunande says he didn't show up for training today."

"Maybe he's with Iruka-sensei?" Kiba shrugged.

"No, I don't think so."

"Hey," Sasuke took a step forward. Neither made any reaction they had heard or seen him, and even Akamaru didn't twitch. Sasuke was more baffled now than angry. Hinata was too sweet and empathetic to take part in a prank like this. Kiba he really didn't care for, but that damn dog of his should have showed _some_ sign of sensing him. His temper flared, and Sasuke snatched a hand at the larger boy, only to realize numbly that his hand passed _through_ his shoulder.

"You shouldn't worry too much, Hinata," Kiba tried to assure her. "Akamaru smells him nearby, don't you, boy?" The mutt gave an encouraging yip. After another pause, Hinata nodded her head, reached over to scratch the dog behind its ears, and straightened.

"All right, then." She glanced over at her companion. "Um… Kiba…?"

"Hn?" he yanked his hood back up, blatantly avoiding her eyes for reasons other than they were just damn creepy.

"Do you think… I mean, maybe…" she blushed, fidgeting with her jacket, her eyes down. Kiba's own eyes widened and his nose twitched nervously.

Finally, he spoke up: "Hinata, do you want to go get some hot chocolate or something?"

She looked up gratefully and smiled, giving a nod.

"Yes, please. That would be very nice."

Kiba's markings blended into his cheeks with the shades of red he turned at her comply. Sasuke watched them trail off,_ 'gag me with a rusty, broken spork'_ written all over his face. When they turned the corner, he let his eyes come back to the run-down building and proceeded to walk slowly up the steps to the main door. He lifted a hand, looked at it, then held it out in front of him.

_I don't know what that was earlier, but..._ His fingers passed through the wood. Hesitating only a moment, Sasuke took a deep breath and walked through the door. He appeared on the other side of it, unscathed, and he shook his head to clear it. _Ordinary, normal day my _ass. He took the stairs up to the seventh story of the complex and turned down the left-handed corridor, passing by three other doors before coming to a stop at Naruto's. This time, he made no hesitations, and walked right in.

It was a mess. Actually, messier than usual. That was saying something. At least before, one could avoid stepping on the empty ramen bowls and all the expired milk cartons were on the island in the kitchen. Now, the hardwood floor had new carpeting: styrofoam, cardboard, and assorted papers. Sasuke made a disgusted face as he pushed through the garbage.

"What a pig," he rolled his eyes and then something caught his attention. Obviously, Naruto wasn't home, so he made as much noise as he pleased parting the Great Sea of Leftovers as he made his way to the small living room area. Surprisingly, this spot by the window had nothing there to obstruct one's movement. It was wide enough to fit a single person when they leaned their elbows on the windowsill and stared out over the city. A position he had caught Naruto in on more than one occasion. What was so special about this spot any—

It was a graduate's headband. A Konoha graduate. And from the faint traces of chakra still clinging to the worn blue fabric, it was Sasuke's. The elegant leaf symbol in the center of the metal plate was obscured by a single thick gash running across its surface. Yes, it was his. He remembered how that happened too. He also remembered where.

"Is that where you are, Naruto?" Sasuke reached down to touch the cold metal thoughtfully, as if it would give him the answer. Of course it didn't reply, but now that the idea was in his head, it was stuck. He ran out of the apartment.

"Sasuke."

He froze, one foot prepared to step out into the clearing. Did he know…?

"I'm back," Naruto sighed, and the empty woods echoed his words. He seemed resigned to the silence, and sat down slowly, crossing his legs and leaning back with his arms to support him. The black-haired boy watched the smallest hint of a smile playing across the other's face.

"It's been a little over three years now, Sasuke."

The aforementioned boy stepped into the clearing and warily headed for the blond. _Can you really see me…?_

"You haven't come back yet."

Sasuke faltered. He was right there. Unless, as usual, Naruto sucked at identifying a chakra.

"Everyone thinks you're dead."

"I'm right—" he began and then stopped himself. Naruto looked to be about sixteen, and Sasuke knew he had not been around to see that. He had left exactly three years before, on his own personal mission, forsaking his team, his hometown, and this boy. Theoretically, he wasn't even supposed to be here right now.

And that's why no one had seen him.

"I know you're not though," the blond continued, as if having a one-sided conversation with a ghost (or spirit or whatever he was) was perfectly normal. "You're too much of a stubborn bastard to die."

Sasuke glowered. Naruto laughed slightly.

"You'd probably hate me for saying that."

_You're damn right._

"But, you hate me anyway," came the disheartened afterthought. Sasuke blinked. He did?

Naruto suddenly brightened. "But that doesn't matter. Because as soon as you come back, I'm gonna beat you black and blue."

Sasuke sweatdropped. _To tell you honestly, I wasn't planning on coming back. Hell, I wasn't planning on _living.

"I wonder where you are right now…?" the boy drew his knees up to his chest, resting his chin on them and looking slightly lost in thought. "I hope you're taking care of yourself, wherever you are. I know that when you get too excited, you tend to forget to eat. And I also know you don't sleep well enough as is."

_How does he know all that stuff…?_

"Eh, you don't need me ragging on you anyway," Naruto grinned at nothing. Suddenly, he lowered his face into the crook of one arm and sat there in silence. Sasuke thought he had fallen asleep; he was known to do so in weirder locations and circumstances. He walked over to the crouched figure of the other boy and looked down at him, hands in his pockets.

"_Oi, dobe,_" he nudged him with the toe of his shoe, and was no longer surprised to see he passed right through the other boy. "Wake up, you idiot. If you fall asleep out here, you'll catch cold. It's gonna rain."

He saw him flinch and sighed. He _was_ probably sleeping.

"…you idiot."

Sasuke froze. Did Naruto talk in his sleep now?

"Why… didn't you take me with you?"

_What…?_

Naruto lifted his head, sniffling wildly and reaching up with a hand to swipe at his leaking eyes. Sasuke took a step back in shock. He hadn't been sleeping, he had been _crying._

"Why'd you leave me behind?" the blond suddenly screamed, making Sasuke jump. "Why did I let you go! WHEN ARE YOU COMING BACK?"

And with that shriek, Naruto threw himself to the grass and bawled. He cried as Sasuke had never seen any man cry before. Quickly, he knelt beside the howling figure and reached down to touch him. Naturally, his hands passed right through his back. Suddenly, Sasuke got angry. He wanted this to be over. He wanted to be able to touch Naruto again, more than anything else in the world. He wanted to make him stop crying, oh god, please, let him stop wailing with those heart-breaking cries.

_This is how you were, Naruto…? Was it like this everyday? All six years I was gone?_

Sasuke lay atop him, heedless of their bodies phasing together, not caring that Naruto couldn't feel him doing this. He had to do it, for his own sake. He ran a hand through the disheveled blond spikes, tightened his arms around the boy's trembling form, and kissed every and any part of his red, tear-streaked face.

"I'm sorry," the black-haired boy whispered, the knowledge that his words would go unheard driving him mad. "I'm sorry I did this to you. I'm sorry I put you through all this. I was stupid; I was weak."

Naruto screamed. Sasuke merely clung tighter, closing his eyes tightly.

_Naruto…!_

"Naruto…!"

Sasuke awoke. He lay on his back, panting and soaked with sweat. Beside him, a soft, sweet voice murmured his name.

"Mm… -suke? Sasuke…?" Naruto lifted his head weakly, his sleep-filled eyes glowing a calming, gentle blue. Sasuke looked back and felt himself relaxing quickly: _A nightmare. A very fucked up one at that._

"It's… nothing," he spoke in a slightly shaking voice. "Go back to sleep, Naruto."

The man nodded once and instantly dropped his head down to the pillow, snuggling against him and making a soft mewing noise in his throat.

"G'night, Sasuke…"

And he was gone.

The black-haired man smiled down at his lover, hesitantly reaching out with one hand. His fingers touched the smooth, tan flesh of his shoulder and stroked down along his arm. The sleeping one smiled to himself and wiggled in a little closer. Sasuke lay back down beside him and let his arm fall around Naruto's waist.

"I'm glad you forgive me," he said, and soon returned to the land of dreams, knowing there were better ones in store.


End file.
